The embattled superintendent of the Hempstead Independent School District surrendered to authorities Thursday afternoon after being indicted on charges of falsifying her résumé.

The charges against the superintendent, Delma Flores-Smith, are the latest development in a racially charged drama that has played out since she assumed leadership of the small school system northwest of Houston 10 months ago.

A grand jury Monday indicted Flores-Smith on three counts of tampering with a government record, according to court documents. The charge is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.

The indictment alleges that in January, Flores-Smith "impaired" the availability of her résumé, a government document, to former school board member Kay Kloecker, who requested it through a public information law. Flores-Smith also is accused of having presented a copy of her résumé that was not the same one on file with the school district and of having done so "with knowledge of its falsity," court documents state.

"There's nothing in the indictment that indicates what the falsity is," said Brent Mayr, Flores-Smith's attorney, saying his client is innocent. "People who are unhappy with the decisions she's making are pushing these charges."

Kloecker said she could not comment. Mayr said he had advised his client not to comment. School board members could not be reached.

A broad reach

The controversy in Hempstead ISD began when Flores-Smith - placed on administrative leave last week - became superintendent last August. Shortly after taking over, Flores-Smith oversaw a financial review by an independent auditor that led to the suspension of the district's business manager for allegedly steering contracts to a plumbing company owned by her husband.

Then in November, Flores-Smith made national headlines when she suspended the principal of Hempstead Middle School, Amy Lacey, for directing students over the intercom not to speak Spanish while on campus. The board later voted not to renew Lacey's contract. She has filed an appeal and is seeking a hearing before the board.

A few months later, Flores-Smith suspended the Hempstead ISD police chief, saying he failed to properly investigate the vandalism of three school buses.

"It's been applied in situations where you wouldn't expect it to be," she said.

Thompson said that using an alleged falsity on a résumé to bring criminal charges is troubling.

"If there isn't really a good, justifiable cause for using criminal sanctions, then we should use less severe sanctions" such as through internal disciplinary action, Thompson said. "If that's enough to remedy the harm, that's what should be preferred."